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W. STANDING.

- 'Grain Drier. No. 79 699. Patented July 7, 1868.

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Letters Patent No. 79,699, dated'JuZy 7, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT m 'GRAIN-DRIERS;

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM STANDING, of Cairo, in. the county of Alexander, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Grain-Briers and .I do hereby. declare that the following is. a full,

clear, andexact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, refer-'.

ence being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a central vertical section of my invention, through the line a: x of fig. 2, Figure 2 is a cross-section of the same through the line y yof fig. 1. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. The object of this invention is ,to accomplish the drying of grain in an expeditious and efl'ectivemanncr, and is designed for use in steam grist-mills, where the waste steam from the engine may be utilized in drying the grain, but is equally applicable in other situations where steamcan be obtained.

, It consists, in general terms, of a steam-chamber containing grain c'ylinders, through which the grain is passed, and around which cylinder is a steam-space.

- It also consists of valves for adjusting the rapidity of the passage of the grain through the-said cylinders. It further consists o perforated or wire-cloth tubes, located within the grain-cylinders, and through which an upward current of air passes, to assist in drying the graimand to bear away the-moisture expelled from the same.

It further consists of a rcceiving-chamber at the base of the apparatus, which is formed with lateral openings to admit the air to the lower ends of the said perforated tubes, and also formed with a conical bottom, to receive the dried grain falling from the grain-cylinders and conduct it to the discharge-opening formed by the truncation of the said conical bottom.

A chamber, having a receiving-hopper for the entering grain, surmounts thc'apparatus, and into this latter chamber the upper ends of the grain-cylinders and the perforated tubes open, the latter projecting somewhat above the former to prevent the grain from escaping into them;

The moisture expelled from the grain escapes at an opening in the upper part of a cap forming-part of the upper chamber, and the perforated tubes are provided with a number of radial arms or spines, which extend 7 across the space, between the exterior of the said tubes and the interior of the grain-cylinders, and which serve to stir up the grain as its descends, thus conducing to a more equable desiccation of the same.

Other devices, perfecting the whole, render the apparatus thoroughlycifective, and the said devices, together with the parts above described in general terms, will now be set forth more exactly.

In the drawings, the steam-chamber consists of-a drum, A, having heads, a a, bi), through which the graincylinders B B B B B B areafiixed, by'any suitable joint, which unites theedges of the upper and lower ends a of the said cylinders with the heads a a and b 1) respectively, thus leaving a steam-tight space surrounding the cylinders, and leaving the latter open' at the top and bottom, for the passage of grain through them.

The perforated tubes 0 C C C are much smaller than thegrain-cylinders,'so that a sufiicicnt space is left i for the grain, and in practical make the perforated tubes with a diameter about one-third of that'of the cylinders; which proportion of space will allow the grain to be sufficiently aerated in its passage downwardh The radial spines d d, &c., are aifiired to the tubes and the inner walls of the grain-cylinders, and serve, as before stated, to stir up the descending grain, and also to holdthe tubes centrally and firmly within the graincylinders. 4 V

That portion of the tubes which projects above the tops of the cylinders is not perforated, as th'e'function of the said portion is to conduct the expelled moisture away from the grain, toward the opening D in the upper part of the cap E surmou'nting the top chamber G, which latter is formed with a shoulder-flange for fitting on to the upper edge of the drum, as shown at e e, whereby the said chamber is easily removed or replaced, as occasion may require.

A hopper, .P, is connectedwith the chamber G, by means of a tube, Q, which terminates in abifurcation,

R, within the chamber.' The grain is poured into this hopper, and is thus distributed to the different grain-- cylinders, and when these are fully charged, the grain fills a portion of the space above the head ac, and surrounds the projecting portions 2' i of the perforated tubes. I

The steam is supplied to the drum A through the pipes J, and escapes through the exhaust-pipe I-I near the top of the drum;

I is a waste-water pipe leading from the opening of the drum near the bottom of the same, and is for the purpose of conducting off the water resulting from condensation.

The'lower openings of, the grain-cylinders are provided with annular valves, it it h h h h, which serve to close the former completely, or to adjust the flow of the grain therefrom.-

The valves are connected together, as shown at It It 70, 820., fig. 2, in which figure a portion of the bottom head 6 b is broken away, to show the connection of the same. These valves are connected together at their proximate points, as before stated, which produces a system of valves susceptible of being operated simultaneously and equally, by means of any suitable mechanism, as that shown, which consists of a lever, L, pivoted to a standard, M, afiixed to the lower head 6 b.

The opposite end of the dever is pivoted to a screw-rod, S, which is fitted with a burr, K, which latter serves, in connection with the plate 9 aflixed to the drum, to raise or lower the lever L, and thus open or completely'close the lower ends of the grain-cylinders or to adjust the valves, so thatthe grain may issue with more or less velocity, according-to the rapidity with which it becomes dried. v p

.-In order that the valves may maintain a horizontal position in their vertical motion, they are attached to thc lever L by ineans'of a short plate, Z, which is pivoted to. the said lever, and to-tw'o lugs, m,- cast or affixed to, the bottom of the central valve. v I

The plate I is bifurcated, andeach branch of the bifurcation is pivoted to :1. lug.

The upper surface of the valves is conical, as shown, to facilitate the passage of the grain from them.

The drum. is supported by legs ffff and also provided with a bottom chamber, o 0, having lateral openings n n n, &c., and a truncated conical bottom, N, upon which latter the grain falls, and -is'conducted to the central opening T, to a chute or spout for conveying it to bins or other receptacles.

- The air being heated within the tubes 0, from its contiguity to the heated grain, ascends, and is supplied through the openings an, to fill the vacuum, and the current thus produced'encountersthe moisture expelled from the grain by the heat of the steam surrounding the grain-cylinders, and bears it upward, thus accomplishing. the desiccation of the grain in a rapid and equable manner.

The valves are closed until the first charge of grain becomes dried. They are then opened sufficiently to permit it to escape only as fast as the succeeding grain is thoroughly dried, and are adjustable to suit any circumstances which may conduce to a slower or more rapid rate of drying.

The apparatus is made of sheet or cast metal.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by. Letters Patent- 1. A grain-drier composed of a series of cylinders folthe passage of the grain, each surrounding a central perforated air-tube, and all enclosed by a metallic case, forming a close steam-chamber, substantially as herein described, for the purpose specified. v

2. The grain-drier, constricted as described, of the annular chamber B, enclosed between the heads a b,

and each-"containing a central perforated tube, 0, supported by radial arms d, and extended in imp'erforate pipes I i, above the head a, for conducting the moisture to the chamber G E, the cylinder-s13 being surrounded by the case A, ,to form the stcamchambcr, all constructed and arranged as described, and supported upon the perforated conical base N, as herein set forth, for the purpose specified. v

3. The arrangement of. the valves it, supported upon the ring K, and adjusted by means of the bifurcated plate Z, pivoted lever L, screw-rod S, and burr K, as herein described, for the purpose specified.

4. The arrangement of the close steam-chamber, the grairi-cylinders B, and the perforated air -tubes'O, having extended imperforate ends 2', whereby the grain is heated by steam'around the cylinders B, and the moisture discharged through the centre of said cylinders by the tubes C, as herein described, for the purpose specified. e

. WILLIAM STANDING.

- Witnesses:

F. BROSS, Joan W. STRANIIAL. 

